


Exit, Pursued by a Zombie

by consultingfangirl019



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer, iZombie (Comics), iZombie (TV)
Genre: F/M, Max Rager, Mild Gore, guns in future chapters, zombie bella
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5210681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consultingfangirl019/pseuds/consultingfangirl019
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella is encouraged to go to a boat party in Seattle months after Edward left. She expected to be bored out of her mind for a few hours, but what really happed is life changing. Because now, she can't stop thinking about brains. Human brains, and where she's going to get her next meal. Who said parties can't be life changing?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and reviews welcome! sort of an iZombie and Twilight crossover

It is hard, losing the love of your life. Then again, lose is such an inadequate word. I drove him away, because of who I am. The blood in my veins, simply by existing, made him leave. Charlie hated me like this, I knew, so I tried, really tried to make an effort. My grades were stellar, because I didn't have the drive to do much else. I was working three days a week, and saved every penny from my tiny paycheck, so I could say I had some sort of college fund. My friends didn't like it either, I saw the way they stared.

It had been two months, why wasn't it ending?

As if I had any idea. But it seemed that today would be different.

"Bella, enough is enough," Jessica said sternly. It was a rainy Friday in mid-December, the last day before winter break started.

The boys had not so subtly left the table, leaving me, Jessica, and Angela. An intervention. Great. Just what I wanted.

"We really think that you deserve better than this," Angela said softly. "So that's why…"

"We are going to a boat party in Seattle, kicks off the winter break," Jessica said.

Well, this was unexpected. If I had to bet money on an intervention, I would've bet for a movie, or shopping spree. Boat party? In this weather?

"I'm not sure if my dad will be okay with it," I explained after a pause to digest the information.

Jessica made a move as if to snap at me, but Angela put a hand on her forearm. "Why don't you ask him? I don't see why he wouldn't say yes, but if he says no, we'll go do something else, okay?"

"Okay," I said. Because I might've been stupid for thinking he would come back and say he loves me, but I'm not dumb. I always thought of myself as independent, able to take care of myself. I needed to stop pining over someone who didn't want me.

The rest of the day passed quickly as I fretted on breaking the news to Charlie. I was also confused as to who would throw a boat party in December. Unless the entire boat would be ninety degrees, who would have much fun?

Charlie came home a bit earlier than usual, and looked at what I was cooking, soup and cornbread. "Looks good, Bells," he said. "Anything interesting happen at school today?

This was it, the moment of truth. "Jessica and Angela invited me to a boat party tonight, can I go?"

He didn't say anything, so I looked back at him to see if he was even considering it. He schooled his expression into one that wasn't downright shocked, and said, "Dress for the weather."

That was surprising. "That's it? You'll let me go?"

"You're 18, Bella, you should be going out, having fun. I'm glad there's something other than school and work for you," he said.

I ate dinner quickly, and called Jessica, telling her I could make it. She seemed excited, and told me that she'd be there to pick me up in a half an hour. Then the stress began. What would I wear? I hadn't done anything in months, and a party seemed to be the time to dress up, even just a little bit. I settled on a nicer pair of jeans and a red sweater. Warm, yet kind of stylish.

I pulled my hair back into a braid before making my way downstairs. Charlie was washing the dishes, and waved me out the door. I felt kind of bad for not doing them myself, but the honking of Jessica's horn broke me out of my trance. I grabbed my jacket and purse and headed out the door.

Thankfully, the drive to Seattle only took about two hours instead of the usual three because traffic was so light.

"How did you even know about this?" I asked Jessica.

"My cousin, he works for Max Rager. They threw this party for the new SuperMax line, and he invited me," she said.

"Sounds like a dream job," Angela said.

"Well, work hard, play harder, right?" Jessica asked.

She turned the radio station up, and the sounds of bubbly pop music filled the air. I dozed off for a little while, only to be woken when Jessica announced "we're here!"

Rubbing my eyes I saw a huge waterfront house towering above us. The lights were on, and there were party decorations everywhere. Mostly, it was Max Rager posters that were blinking on and off that illuminated the night sky. Jessica led us to the back of the house, to the boat.

Well, it was more of a yacht than anything else.

There were girls in bikinis and guys in shorts drinking out of the red plastic cups, laughing and playing around.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Well," Jessica said, taking off her coat to reveal a sequined purple top, "we mingle. We are fashionably late, after all."

The three of us moved to the boat, and Jessica introduced us all to her cousin Ryan, a mediocre looking and sounding twenty something who stared at our chests for too long. Gross.

I drew my coat around me tighter and stood by one of those huge heat lamp things. My hands warmed quickly, and I decided that I'd probably stay like this the rest of the night. Someone offered me a beer, which I turned down, and I decided on one of those fancy bottled sodas. It was lukewarm, but it gave me something to do, at least.

"Hey sugar, you want some U?" a voice asked behind me.

I turned around and saw a man with short dirty blond hair looking at me.

"What?" I asked, sipping my soda nervously. He was looking me over appreciatively, and while I didn't want to, like, touch him or anything, it was kinda nice to have someone think I'm hot.

"Utopium, or U, as we call it. Strongest stuff in the world, it'll fry your brains in a heartbeat," he elaborated.

And he was a drug dealer. Great, just my luck.

"I prefer my brains to be not fried, thank you," I said, turning away.

"Well honey, I'm not looking at you for your brain," the man went on and suddenly there was a hand on my butt.

So I did the first thing I could think of, and pivoted to throw my drink in his face. What a creep. My dad always made sure I had pepper spray in my purse, and just in case this guy got violent, my hand found it and turned the nozzle to the 'on' position.

"Leave me alone," I demanded.

He wiped his eyes angrily and started to say something, but was cut off by a piercing scream behind me. Turning around, I saw that the front part of the boat was on fire. People were screaming, running away from the flames. Looking around, I saw that there wasn't a single fire extinguisher. Technically, that was against the law.

But the strangest part is, people were attacking each other as well. One man, or boy, I couldn't tell, was attacked by a woman in a bikini, and when she stared at me, I saw her eyes were bright red. It was so similar to the shade of James' eyes that fear like I hadn't felt in months washed over me.

"Run!" my brain was screaming, and my shaky legs rushed to comply.

But when I turned around I saw it was too late. The man I threw my soda on, his eyes were red as well, and he grabbed my right forearm as I tried to push past him. He was snarling, saliva foaming at his mouth.

"Let me go!" I begged. Oh my god, what about Renée? And Charlie? I'd survived so much, gone through so much in the last couple of months, would I really die like this, on a boat party surrounded by drug fueled strangers attacking each other? I tugged on my arm. "Please, let me go!" I begged.

With one final tug, I took a step back only to notice that pain was blooming along my arm. It was less severe than the venom from James, but it hurt. The step back made me catch my heel on the chair behind me, catapulting me off the yacht. I hit the water with a smack, and knew I was quickly losing consciousness.

Well, this is it, I supposed. The guilt took a split second to settle in.

Charlie. He was so happy to see me doing something, and I never got to say goodbye to him. He silently waited for me to return from this never-ending pit of misery, that now when I've started to come crawling back to him he has to deal with my funeral instead of high school graduation.

And him.

Over the months since he left, I'd been so careful. I tried not to think about them, not to mull over all the memories with them, how happy I was, like I was really a member of the family. I'd snapped all my CD's, holed myself away from the world behind the walls of homework and work. But now, that I was going to die, I found myself not caring.

Edward, I thought. Edward, Edward, Edward. Suddenly, the memories were all there. The way he smiled, that stupid beautiful smile that always got my heart racing. The way my hand felt in his, like we could take on the world together. His cool hand on my forehead after he sucked out the venom from my blood while I screamed in pain. I knew how difficult it must have been for him, but he stopped, and comforted me, like his pain didn't matter.

And the way he kissed me.

Oh, could that boy could kiss.

I mean, not that I had too much to compare it to, but every time he touched me, so damned nicely, I turned to mush. My bones liquefied and all I could focus on was the way he felt, the way he made me feel. I remembered his lips and tongue gliding down my jawline and neck while his hands held my hair away from my face carefully, so carefully, like I was precious and important.

My heart was breaking all over again, but I didn't care. Because as my life ended, I wanted to be happy, and I was happy, I knew because I could feel the twisting pain all over my body, in my heart and lungs, but my face was breaking into a smile.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting used to Zombiehood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and Kudos are welcome (I'm begging you please)

I woke up in a body bag.

A freaking body bag.

I tore my eyes open to the muted sunlight filtering through the yellow fabric. Whoever zipped the bag up left a gap at the top and I stuck my finger in the hole and pulled the zipper down. My stomach was heaving, and as soon as I got the zipper down to my waist I shot up and coughed out what felt like five gallons of water.

The sun was blinding and I had to blink furiously for a moment. I noticed immediately that I was starving. There was a muffled scream to my right and I whipped my head around to see a paramedic scrambling away from me. There were ambulances everywhere and bodies littered the shoreline. When I reached forward to continue unzipping the bag, sharp pain shot through my arm. I hissed and brought it up closer to my face. There were three long scratches, and I hastily covered it up with my sweater. I climbed out of the bag and waved off the paramedics that rushed toward me.

"Miss, are you alright?" someone asked.

I was starving, and the only thing I could think of doing was cracking this man's head open and… oh my god, what had happened to me?

"Of course I'm not, I woke up in a body bag!" I snapped. My mind was spinning, thinking of what I had to do. There was no way I could go to a hospital, not like this.

"We need to get you into a hospital," one said.

"Absolutely not! I refuse. I feel fine, and I'm not going anywhere with you! Put a live person in a body bag. Good grief!" I said. They shrank away from me, probably imagining all the lawsuits I could bring down from the heavens.

"I really think…" one started again.

"That I am going to go and get my purse, then call my father for a ride home? That's exactly what I was thinking," I said with a forced smile.

I walked away, making sure my steps were steady while trying to keep my dignity as my shoes squeaked with each step I took. There was no way I could be examined now. I walked into the house, which was pretty empty, I supposed they cleaned that area out first before moving out to the yacht. The Max Rager signs were still blinking sporadically, and I resisted the urge to tear them down. My cell phone was waterlogged, so I made my way upstairs to find a phone I could use. I needed to call Jessica and Angela, to make sure they were okay, but I needed to call my dad first. I found the home office easily, and picked up the phone. I dialed Charlie's number by heart and waited nervously for him to pick up.

"Charlie Swan," he said gruffly.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Bella, honey, where have you been?" he demanded. "There's stuff about a boat party going wrong on the news, are you alright?"

The words "yes, of course I am," were on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't bring myself to lie. "No," I whispered. "I'm not, and I just want to come home but I can't find Jessica or Angela."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay? Just sit tight and wait for me." He said. "I know the address, it might take me a while, but I'm coming, alright?"

"Thanks dad," I said and hung up. I was starving, but the idea of food was getting more and more repulsive. I walked slowly downstairs again, avoiding the odd looks from the paramedics and police officers. I stumbled into the bathroom to wash my hands and face, and for the first time I saw myself in the mirror. My skin was normally quite pale, but this looked unnaturally so. I looked like a member of the walking dead. My hair, which was a chocolate brown was now shot through with white. It looked like I was eighteen and sixty at the same time. A medic thrust an orange blanket at me as I got out of the house and I took it, walked a bit down the beach, away from the people. I didn't want to hurt them, but I knew I probably would.

I walked further and further down the shoreline, and took a turn back toward the main street. There were houses giving me cover, and it seemed like the whole street was on lockdown, with curtains drawn and doors locked. As I turned around a large tree, I froze in my tracks.

There was a body. Some instinct said it was human and I walked toward it before I could figure out what I was doing. The skull was cracked open, and there were some brains available. My hand reached in and grabbed it and I started eating before I knew what was going on. Part of me was in denial, but the other, more dominant part was just hungry.

And it tasted so good. Well, the taste of the brains was absolutely disgusting. But it satisfied something in me that I knew nothing else ever would. By the time I was finished the worst of my hunger had passed and I felt sick with myself, with what I became.

But it wasn't like I asked for it, right? I trudged up to the main street and sat on the curb. After a few moments I draped the blanket over my shoulders. When I breathed out I could see steam coming out of my mouth, but oddly enough I didn't feel cold. And I had a craving for brains. My god, it was like going through puberty all over again. If only there were cheesy videos to help with the transition into zombiehood.

Because that's what I was. A monster people made fun of and dressed up as for Halloween. I didn't really know what to do with myself, so I just sat and waited for my dad, while feeling sorry for myself. Time passed, and before I knew it a white police cruiser was pulling up. Before I could blink Charlie had rushed out and hugged me tightly. I tensed, of course, because one, he wasn't a touchy person. I can't remember the last time we hugged. Two, I became a zombie because I was scratched by one. Could I change my dad into a zombie if I touched him?

"Sorry Bells," he said gruffly. "I was just so worried about you. Let's get you home, okay?"

I nodded slowly and got into the car. He had the heater on full blast and it was toasty. I folded the blanket and set it on my lap so it covered my hands.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to a hospital?" he said nervously.

That's when it happened. I wasn't in the car anymore, but in what looked like a kitchen, and I was clutching my forearm. It was turning an angry red, and there were a few blisters peeking out from under my fingers. Oil dripped from the granite countertops and onto the floor.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" a woman with long blonde hair and warm brown eyes said timidly as she tried to get a good look at my arm.

"I said I'm fine, god, you're such a pushy bitch!" I screamed at her. But it wasn't my voice, it was a man's, deep and obviously in pain. Everything felt strangle, like I was right there, but miles away at the same time.

"Why the hell do I even bother with you, you asshole?" the woman yelled back, suddenly furious.

Then suddenly I was back in the car with my dad.

"Bella? Bella? Hellooo, anyone home?" he asked, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "And I'm sure I don't need to go to a hospital."

He started up the car and I rubbed my temples furiously. What the hell had just happened? And why did I suddenly crave a beer? I never drank, and beer was disgusting!

Charlie tried to keep me distracted by talking about how he and the entire police department were working with the Seattle police to find Jessica and Angela. They had calls in to the police, hospitals, and medical examiner. He said this one as an afterthought, obviously holding out hope they were alive and well.

I spent the entire time staring out the window, watching the trees pass by. It was kind of like being half asleep, that state between being alert and passed out cold, where I could see what was going on around me but I just didn't care.

After a while Charlie seemed to understand I wasn't fully with him and stopped talking. Suddenly he was shaking my shoulder. I looked up and saw that we were already home.

"Bella, seriously, do you need to go to the hospital, its close by," he said worriedly.

"I'm serious, I don't want to go, besides, I promise I'll let you know if I start feeling bad," I said.

That seemed to work, and he insisted on helping me inside. I grabbed some pajamas, even though it was just midafternoon, and treated myself to a hot shower. Charlie was suddenly called back to the station, informing me halfway out the door that Jessica may have been located. With the fan turned high and the water streaming down on top of me, I finally allowed myself to cry.

I took my time drying my hair and getting ready for bed. Before I went to sleep I took a beer out of the fridge and chugged the whole thing, something that felt incredibly strange yet completely normal at the same time. And when I climbed into bed, I noticed something else had changed about me. I couldn't sleep.

At all.

Hours passed, I heard the cruiser pull up in the driveway, Charlie's boots stomping up the stairs as he went to bed after what must have been a horrendously long day. Had the crunching of the gravel under the tires always been so loud? Looking back on it, I don't think it was. But that wasn't the only thing on my mind. I needed to be pragmatic, like I always was.

I needed to look for my next meal. If there was one thing they taught me, it's that I can't be the reason someone is hurt. I could work around my dietary needs, I just needed access to someplace I could get it. A few more hours passed and I heard Charlie get up and move toward my bedroom. Throwing the sheets over my face, I pretended to be asleep.

"Bella?" he asked, shaking my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I asked. Thankfully my voice was scratchy from misuse and made it sound like I actually was sleeping.

"Honey, I'm so sorry, it's Jessica." The look in his eyes was that of pure pain, but I didn't feel anything. The news was obvious on his face.

"Okay," I said. "I understand."

"Honey?" he asked. "If you want to talk to someone, a professional, please, tell me. I want you to know that I'll help you as much as I can."

That was Charlie, always kind, but a psychologist could help me with this.

"I'm fine dad, I promise," I said. Empty words- that was all it was. I would never be fine again.

He nodded, awkwardly patted me on my shoulder and moved out the room. But at the last minute, he stepped back. "I hate to tell you this, but there's an investigation going on into what happened on the boat. We'll need you to come in and make a statement sometime soon, maybe tomorrow or the day after. I'm sorry Bell," he explained.

Of course I understood the need for my statement. "I'll go in tomorrow," I said. He nodded and shut the door softly behind him.

My mind was racing, thinking of all the lies I had to tell. To the police, so I wouldn't get locked up in the hospital, and then to my father, for the same reason. My mother would probably faint if I told her that I was on that boat to begin with, and try to get me back to her in Florida.

Rubbing my head, I realized that's all I'd been doing since I came to live in Forks. Lying or dealing with lies. First it was believing a liar when he said he loved me. Now, it was me, in order to protect myself and everyone around me. What had my life become?


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos welcome!

The next few days of break were spent receiving grief casseroles and pies from neighbors and the families of coworkers of Charlie’s. Renée called, threatening to get on the next plane up here or put me on a plane down to Florida, but I refused, using the “I need more time” argument. My temper was a bit shorter than usual, and I slammed the receiver down harshly, then wondered what exactly made me act like that. Like Charlie, she also encouraged me to seek professional help, but seeing as I didn’t want to be killed or locked in a mental institution, I turned her down as well. But a few days after I came home, I was faced with a more pressing issue.

  
It started in the middle of yet another sleepless night, making it six days since I slept a wink. There was this stirring in the pit of my stomach. It was easy to ignore at first, but over the hours it got worse. I tiptoed downstairs, and cut myself a large piece of chocolate pie Sue Clearwater had sent over the day before. The worst thing about becoming a zombie was definitely the change in the taste buds. I couldn’t taste anything unless it was labeled “extra spicy.”

So to make the pie more bearable, I doused it in half a jar of Siracha sauce and put a few tablespoons of tabasco before chowing down. I ate the entire thing, washed it down with yet another can of beer, and felt only marginally fuller. With a resigned sigh, I rinsed off my dish and went back upstairs, passing Charlie's room. My feet stuttered to a stop outside his door. I could hear his occasional snores, but more than that, I was hungry. And he had a brain. A whole, delicious brain, not just some part that was leftover.

With a gasp, I sprinted upstairs and slammed my door shut, and the bang echoed through the house. In a panic, I shoved the desk chair under the handle, then locked my window as well. The slow pounding of my heart (averaging one beat every ten seconds) filled my ears, and my breath was coming out in short bursts.

There was a knock at my door. “Bells, are you alright?” Charlie asked.

I wanted to scream for him to run, but I shoved it down and instead called out, “yeah, dad, I’m fine, just closed the door a bit too hard. You should go back to sleep, everything’s fine.”

He sighed. “Bella, I’m going to head into work today, is that alright?”

I wanted to cry in relief. Charlie going back to work meant a stop from the hovering he was trying so hard to hide, and that he would be out of the house. He’d be safe from me.

“Of course that’s alright dad, I promise I’ll be fine. I've still got that extra credit essay to write for my Lit class, so I’ll be alright on my own,” I said.

I heard his footsteps leave to go downstairs, and breathed a sigh of relief, which was replaced by fear. How was I going to get my next brain?

I stayed in my room the entire morning, calling a goodbye to Charlie through my bedroom door and just staring at the wall for a few hours. Then it hit me, I could go to the hospital. There was a morgue, a small one for a small town, but a morgue nonetheless. If I could get in, get a brain, and get out, I’d be alright. I’d be fed, have a meal for the next week and a half or so, and nobody would get hurt. Going into my closet, I found a spare set of black sweatpants, and a plain navy blue sweatshirt with a large front pocket. I grabbed a plastic container to store the brain in, then took Charlie’s cooler that he used for fishing trips and put it under my bed. It was getting old anyway, I could always tell him I threw it out and bought him a new one.

With a sigh, I changed out of my pajamas and into my old jeans and a sweatshirt. I gathered up my purse and car keys, and headed to the grocery store. I needed to keep up appearances, and going grocery shopping and replacing the cooler I would start using for my brain storage was a must. The only place to buy groceries in Forks was a slightly run down market on the edge of town. When I first moved here I received strange looks because I was a newcomer, a stranger, but over time they faded.

But today, the first time I’d really stepped out of the house since the boat party, they were back with a vengeance. I assumed that it was because of my deathly (pun intended) pale skin and my now pure white hair. Or maybe it’s because everyone thinks I got Jessica and Angela killed, although the latter was still classified as missing, as no body had been found.

"Bella, it’s good to see you again,” a woman who I didn’t know said as soon as I entered. “And I’m so sorry about what happened.”

That’s when it happened again.

I was at a kitchen table, sipping a coffee. The suit I had on was scratchy, and I tugged at my collar, but it didn’t help any.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” an older man said reluctantly.

“It’s not your fault, Dad,” my voice, now a deep man’s voice, said. “Some idiot thought it’d be fun to drive stoned. At least he’s dead, or else I’d kill him myself. You should probably leave though. You were never good to mom when she was alive anyway.”

His face morphed into one of tightly controlled anger.

I could feel the hatred, the burning desire for revenge coiling in the pit of my stomach.

As suddenly as it came on, the memory was gone, and the air left my lungs in a whoosh.

“Bella?” the woman asked.

I just smiled tightly and nodded. “Thank you.” I bagged the lettuce and carrots faster than I probably needed to, because the idea of her skull cracked open was getting a bit too tempting for my tastes.

“It seems like only yesterday the three of you girls were taking on the world together,” she continued.

“Please, don't,” I said. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but please, just stop,” I pleaded. Without giving her a chance to reply I pushed the cart toward the junk food section.

I loaded up on the chips and fatty, artery clogging dips, something else I had a sudden taste for. Venturing into the small cosmetics section, I bought myself a couple packages of bronzer. Maybe a coat or twenty would make me look not so…dead. I also bought some more hot sauce, and for fun threw in a tube of extra spicy red hot chili sauce. It might work better than the tabasco.

The cashier looked at me strangely as she scanned my items, and after a few moments I recognized her as a senior from school. I offered a tight smile, tried not to look at her head, and got out of the store as soon as I could.

When I got back, Charlie had left a message asking me if I was alright, so I called him back while unpacking the food, and we had a short conversation. He seemed happy that I went out, even if it was just for grocery shopping.

“And you write an excellent paper. You’ve had a tough time, but please, don't give up on college,” he said.

I was silent with horror. College, I’d completely forgotten all about it. What if I killed someone? What if I didn’t age? Can zombies even age?

“Bella?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah, sorry,” I answered, rubbing my forehead. “I promise, I’m going to do well in school. College. Yay.”

He could probably tell that the last part was sarcastic, but decided not to say anything. We said our goodbyes, and after I hung up I focused very hard on not having a nervous breakdown. More than ever, I wanted college to never come. Hopefully if my plan for tonight worked, I’d have a decent supply of brains that I didn’t have to kill to get. What would I do in college?

First things first, Bella. Get the brains. Get out. Repeat. It shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

It was very difficult. My window squeaked loudly at 11pm, and I had to hurriedly tiptoe downstairs for the oil, apply it, and jump out into the tree, close the window, and climb down, and make sure most of this was done silently. I couldn’t start my car, obviously, so I jogged the entire three miles to the hospital. I started at first to save a bit of time, but I was kind of surprised that I could keep it up the entire way there without breaking a sweat.

Now getting into the morgue was a bit more difficult. I had to sneak into the hospital through a back window in what looked to be a sterilization room that was thankfully empty. I kept my head down and speed walked to the morgue, my stomach twisting the entire way, both out of nerves and hunger.

The entrance to the morgue was unlocked, and it was dark, the only light coming in from a streetlight that flickered occasionally. It stank of chemicals, and with a sigh, I made my way over to the wall. There were files attached to the doors of each chamber. It was full of names, birthdays and death days. It was so overwhelming. They were all people, humans that deserved to be treated with respect and dignity. And right now, all I saw was a meal.

The lights turned on suddenly making me jump. I searched around for a place to hide, but there was none.

“I’m sorry, can I help you with anything?” a man’s voice said with a strong British accent.

I didn’t say anything, just focused on willing myself to not jump on him, and not in a fun way.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Are you here to identify any remains?” he asked again.

I stayed silent. This couldn’t be my life now, could it?

“Why are you here?” he said, his voice turning more wary.

“I’m so hungry,” was all I could come up with to answer.

“Look, okay, I’ve got a couple dollars, the vending machine works great, if you need a ride to a shelter?” he asked.

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Then I tried again, only to repeat “I’m just so hungry.” I wistfully tapped the door to a compartment, making a hollow yet tinny noise.

There was a moment of silence. Then the bombshell dropped. “Oh my god, you’re Isabella Swan, aren’t you? Chief Swan’s daughter? Only known local survivor of the Seattle boat party last week?”

I gasped. “How did you know?”

“Turn around first, and I’ll give you all the brains you need,” he said.

I turned around slowly. He was a south Asian man, a finely groomed beard and messy black hair artfully gelled back.

“I knew it,” he said.

“Knew what? And who are you?” I demanded. Just then another pang of hunger let loose and I pitched forward onto the table for support with a groan.

“Oh god, are you alright?” he said while rushing forward to help me. I pushed him away firmly.

“I don't want to scratch you,” was all I offered in return.

He nodded once, scratching the back of his neck. “Thank you, I suppose.”

“I’m just so hungry. And unless you’re going to make good on that promise of brains in the next few minutes, you should probably run,” I warned.

He had the good idea to look frightened. “Right, yes,” he said, locking the door to the morgue and ushering me into a corner. He pulled out an elderly woman who was draped only in a sheet. “Freshest brain, coming right up.”

Part of me wanted to look away, but apparently zombieism cured my squeamishness. I guess you can’t be a brain craving maniac if you get queasy at the sight of blood. “Was she nice?” I asked.

“What?” he asked, getting some tools out while putting on goggles at the same time?

“Was she a nice person? It’s just that… I…become them. I’ve had a craving for beer and been a bit snappier than I usually would for the past week. I guess the guy whose brain I ate like a fast food burger was like that. I also sometimes get bits of memories, like I’m living their lives,” I explained.

“Maybe you were snappy because two of your friends are missing? Well, one’s dead, one’s still missing. Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” he said, looking at my face.

“But I get their memories too, if I hear or see something that can trigger it,” I said.

“That would make sense…” he said. “Don’t talk for about two minutes, the saw is a bit noisy.”

So I watched as the mechanical whirring blade cut open an elderly lady, or more importantly, my next meal.


	4. Chapter 4

While I ate, Ravi explained to me what had happened. He had worked for the CDC for some time after getting his medical degree at Oxford, but was fired since he was 100% okay with the ideas that zombies exist. Well, not exactly.

  
“We shouldn’t be worried about the flu, or tuberculosis outbreaks,” he said. “Well, we probably should, but the real danger? Biological warfare. Think of it, a single virus, capable of killing thousands in one go, that’s where the real danger is.”

“How did you realize I was a zombie?” I questioned him, finishing the last bite. I felt much better, more sated, and stable.

  
He paused and looked at me regretfully before speaking. “I still have some friendly colleagues in the Seattle office,” he said. “I asked for the information of the investigation. Of course, there was drinking and drug use,” he said, giving me a pointed look.

 

“I didn’t drink alcohol, or do any drugs, even though I was offered,” I said.

  
He shrugged and continued. “But there’s parties of drinking and drug use all the time, we never see mass violence on this scale. So, I questioned my colleague for the autopsy reports. Every single one of the victims was missing either a significant amount, or 100% of their brain matter. They’re linking it to the fish in the lake, because obviously, rainbow trout go straight for the cranium. Its right there in front of them! How could they have missed it?”

  
“If people don’t want to believe something, they won’t,” I said.

  
He shrugged and sighed before looking at me with a glint in his eye. “Well, between the two of us, I think this relationship can go somewhere,” he said.

  
“Are you blackmailing me?” I asked him in a low voice.

  
“Absolutely not!” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to offer my services of brain providing, and, I am curious about the makeup of the virus, so perhaps a urine sample?”

  
I hopped off the stool and zipped up my hoodie. “Save some mystery for later, okay?” I asked.

  
He wished me a good night and gave me his phone number for future use.

  
So now, here I was in my bedroom after sneaking in at 5 in the morning, knitting a scarf. It was beautiful, really, a cable pattern that I never learned myself but knew perfectly. When Charlie started waking up, I shoved it under my bed and pretended to be asleep. He would always peek into my room when he thought I wasn’t looking. Probably making sure I didn’t have a mental breakdown or something during the night. So, I closed my eyes, breathed normally. Sometimes, since I changed, I held my breath, just to see what happened. The longest I could go without breathing was about 5 minutes, and after that it was genuinely painful, causing my head to swim and vision to darken.

  
After Charlie left, I went back to knitting and eventually finished the scarf. I got up, cooked some soup that I later froze for use later, and finished the entirety of my classwork for the foreseeable future. Today was the last day of winter break, meaning that I would have to get up tomorrow, and face the stares of my classmates. On top of that, I was the only known survivor of the three that left, so there would probably be terrible rumors circulated by freshmen. Maybe I went into a vicious rampage and killed everyone at the party. I shuddered at the thought, turning my thoughts to more cheerful things.

  
Apparently, Mrs. Mabel Scott was quite the cook, and by the time Charlie had come back from work, I had baked three loaves of homemade bread, and was serving up a delicious (to a human, probably) beef stroganoff.

  
“Wow Bells, what’s all this?” Charlie asked suspiciously while taking off his shoes.

  
“I finished all my homework, and I got bored. There’s fresh bread in the fridge,” I added.

  
He opened his mouth and then abruptly closed it. Crap. He probably thought I was suffering a psychotic break of some sort.

  
“I just got bored, Dad. Figured it was about time for me to put some effort into dinner,” I said.

  
“Okay,” he said cautiously. “Well, it smells delicious,” he added.

  
“Thank you,” I said and attempted a smile.

  
Apparently, it tasted delicious as well because he ate seconds, and plenty of the bread. I ate as much as I could so he could rest assured that I was not developing an eating disorder, or was gorging myself on food, or whatever he worried about when it came to me. I was extremely sorry that I had put him through such hardships. No father should have to see the things he saw.

  
“You need to speak with your mother,” he said quietly as I was washing up.

  
I wasn’t in the kitchen anymore.

  
I was staring at the face of an older man, perhaps in his early forties. He was dressed in a nice suit, but seemed more antique, like something from the fifties or sixties. “You need to speak with your mother about this, Mabel,” he said sternly.

  
“No!” a shriek came out of my throat. “She’ll take it away from me! Please, please, you can’t say anything. Not now, not yet!”

  
“Bells?” my dad asked.

  
“Sorry, um, yeah, I probably should talk to mom. Has she been worried?” I asked.

  
Charlie had filled her in on the details but made her promise not to call and overwhelm me until I called her. She had, miraculously, agreed to his terms, and was waiting for me to call her and inform her about what happened and how I was doing.

  
“You know how she is,” he said noncommittally.

  
“More than I’d like to,” I joked back.

  
I was rewarded with a smile. We stayed in comfortable silence the rest of the evening, as he watched a sports game of some sort and the news and I cleaned the kitchen from my cooking escapades and wondered what I was going to do all night.

  
The next morning came much too early for my liking. I went through the motions of getting ready for school and climbed into my truck. Charlie had already left, an encouraging note stuck to the fridge. I sighed and started the engine. It was basically like the first day all over again, but even worse. The staring at my now white hair, my deathly pale skin. They were afraid of me, it seemed, and they should be. I was a monster, a monster who fed on human brains. Jessica and Angela’s names were thrown in, just for an added kick to the rumor mill. Even Mike and Ben, a boy who was getting close to Angela, were cautious around me. Maybe they were being nice to one of the only survivors of the Seattle Boat Party Massacre. Maybe they thought I’d eat them.

  
What made the whole thing unbearable was the donation drive for Jessica and Angela’s families. Angela had two younger brothers who were now missing their older sister. Jessica had one older sister living in Idaho and an older brother in Indiana. I didn’t know if they were going to come back into town for the funeral or what. There were also large condolence cards in the front office that we were all encouraged to sign for their families. I saw the accusatory stares leveled at me by students, even teachers, when they thought I wasn’t looking. They were looking at me like I’d killed them. And who knows? Maybe I did. Maybe I did kill someone before I was put into a body bag myself. I had no way of knowing what had happened.

  
I finished my small amount of assignments and made dinner, this time a chicken and rice casserole with homemade gravy. I made a mental note to write these recipes down so I could still make the food when the brain was finished with. I did call Renee, who was panicked, and threatened to come over to Forks. I just made the comment that she’d be having to share a bathroom with Charlie and me before that idea was abruptly cancelled.

  
Still, she was so scared and worried about me, and she didn’t even know the whole truth. I briefly toyed with the idea of telling her the truth, but quickly decided against it. This isn’t like last time, when the secret wasn’t mine to tell. This was worse, much, much worse because I could easily be institutionalized. Then instead of being the creepy girl who died at a party, I would instead be the crazy freak who had to be hospitalized for her own good.

  
Charlie was still keeping a close eye on me, but a couple days after classes began again he was suddenly called out to a car crash and had to leave shortly after dinner. As he was putting his shoes on, there was a knock at the door, and he eyed it suspiciously.

  
“Expecting anyone, Bells?” he asked me.

  
I thought about it, then said, “no, can’t think of who that could be.”

  
When Charlie opened the door, a familiar voice greeted him, and I went to the front door to see Ravi’s grinning face peering over my father’s shoulder.

  
“Hello Doctor, how are you doing?” I asked.

  
“That is actually the question I have for you!” he replied cheerfully.

  
“Bella, who is this guy?” Charlie demanded.

  
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, the new coroner, I’m sorry for not introducing myself to you earlier, Chief Swan,” he said sheepishly.

 

  
“Dad, its fine, you can go,” I said. “we just finished eating, but would you like anything to eat or drink, Doctor?” I asked.

  
“And how do you two know each other?” Charlie demanded.

  
Ravi’s face was that of thinly veiled panic, so I stepped in. “I went grocery shopping a few days ago, and he noticed that I was in pain, so he asked how he could help. It was only a pulled muscle in my shoulder, most likely due to all the stress,” I added, before Charlie could ask why I had not sought medical attention elsewhere.

  
“I just wanted to make sure Isabella was doing okay,” Ravi added.

  
The explanation must have placated Charlie, and he eventually left, telling me he would call when he was on his way back. I waited until earing Charlie’s car turn off the driveway before turning on Ravi.  
“What was that? What were you thinking? I had no idea you were coming!” I snapped at him while angrily starting the coffee machine.

“Look, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, dietary wise,” he stated in a serious tone while setting up his briefcase on the table. I deflated at that, understanding that he was right.

  
“I’m running a bit low, but I think I should be good for another week or so,” I said. “and I’m sorry about that, I do appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

  
He grinned widely, “not a problem, really, it’s my pleasure,” he said. He removed a small plastic container, and gave it to me. I saw a small amount of brains in it. When he saw my questioning look he stated it came from the same source as before. I explained to him that I had a small icebox under my bed for storage. When I returned, he requested that I let him take blood and urine samples. I grudgingly cooperated, because, the man was feeding me, I couldn’t exactly in good conscience say no, could I?

  
We talked for some time about his work in England and for the CDC, and he asked me about my plans for the future. I was planning on applying to the University of Washington, but I wasn’t sure anymore. He was upset about my thoughts and said that if dyslexic people can attend college, surely an undead person could as well.

  
He made it sound so easy, and maybe, after some time and practice, it could be.


	5. Chapter 5

Time passed, no matter how slowly it did. Mike, Eric, and Ben tried to be supportive, but they eventually gave up on me and left me to my own devices. Ravi made sure I was fed, and was attempting to learn more about the causes and circumstances of my case of zombieism. It was a virus, remarkably tough, and would consume every bacterium he exposed it to. When I came into the morgue, his face would light up and he would tell me how my saliva sample reacted to various strains of bacteria and viruses in different environments. His excitement was oddly endearing.

Charlie was still wary around me, but seemed more relaxed as time went on. He was back to inviting people over to the house, and I did enjoy the company. Harry and Sue Clearwater would always bring good food (to a human), and I was sure to give them something delicious to take back with them. Billy Black and his son Jacob were also frequent visitors, and Jacob would always speak to me about the status of the car he was repairing. He joked that when he was finished with this project he wasn’t sure what he would do with himself. Billy would tell him to get a job and start pulling his weight around the house, causing Jacob to make a particularly atrocious remark about pulling and Billy’s wheelchair.

Focusing on school was a herculean task. Being a small town, most of my brain food came from the local nursing home, and one car accident which left a middle-aged man for me to eat. His brain was helpful with my car maintenance, and I changed my oil and rotated my tires one afternoon, with no problem. The clinical depression and overwhelming desire for cocaine, on the other hand, was not helpful.

Ravi pulled some strings at the hospital and got me a weekend job filing paperwork for the morgue and occasionally helping out in the billing department. Most of my time was spent watching him fill out paperwork, making sure the paperwork he filled out was correct, and eating the occasional brain.

And… time passed. Things still were horrifically sucky in my emotional life, the mood swings were like being on drugs, and I always felt like I had to look over my shoulder for a horde of angry townspeople coming to burn me at the stake. But… it passed. Jacob Black was wonderful, and I found myself spending some more time with him. I usually focused on schoolwork or talked to Ravi about the new filing system while watching Jacob work on the car. Billy would invite me and sometimes Charlie over for dinner.

While driving along the road from La Push one day, I saw a few old and beat up bikes sitting out by the curb. On a whim, I went up to the house and rang the doorbell. I recognized the boy that answered it as a sophomore from school, but couldn’t remember his name.

“How much are you asking for the bikes?” I asked him.

He seemed a bit wary of me, but that morphed into surprise. “You… actually want the bikes?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Friend of mine works on cars, and now that his current pet project is coming to an end he’s having a bit of a crisis. These should cheer him up.”

He nodded at my explanation. “They’re free, we were going to put them out with the garbage anyway. Here, I’ll help you load them up.”

I learned that with my new status as the walking dead I was much stronger than I was while living, but I pretended to need his help loading the bikes on the bed of my truck. I thanked him, and went on my way home.

“Bella, just what in the hell are two rusted up motorcycles doing in your truck?” Charlie thundered when he walked in that night.

“Dad, relax,” I said. “They were free, and I’m going to take them down to Jake tomorrow or maybe this weekend. Maybe he could fix them up and sell them for some money or something.”

That calmed him down a little bit, but he still spent the rest of the evening lecturing me on safety. I stuck by my original story for long enough that he decided I couldn’t be lying. And it was true, Jake did need some spending money. He and Billy got by, but it was fun to have an extra bit of cash.

The next day after classes I went straight to La Push and the look on Jake’s face was hilarious. His eyes bulged and he let out a big whoop while pumping his fist in the air. Billy didn’t seem very impressed by the rusted metal, and all he said was, “this better not come out of my wallet.”

One time Jake’s friends from school came over, and saw me sitting in the corner going over chemistry homework while Jake was wrestling with the bike. Quil introduced himself politely, and Embry just asked if this loser (by which he was referring to Jake) had asked me out yet, or he would even though he’s never dated an “albino chick”. After they had left, Jake apologized for Embry’s behavior. I just nodded and changed the topic. I didn’t need to talk about that just yet.

Within a few weeks though, something changed. Jake was no longer smiling and cheerful, but was angry and sometimes snappish with me.

“Okay, Jake, seriously, is something wrong? Do you want me to leave?” I asked, slamming my book shut and gathering my things.

“No, no,” he said. “It’s just… Embry. He’s joined a group, or gang, or whatever they call themselves. Sam’s group. Its creepy, and there’s’ just something off about it but I’ve tried to talk to him so many times, Quil too, and he just won’t say anything. Other than we’ll find out soon.”

He sighed, closing the box of his tools. “What does that mean? Are they going to do something to me? What about Dad? And nobody is acting like anything is wrong, even Dad said that I’m probably overreacting.”

I got up and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, come on, if you think that there’s something wrong, there probably is. I’ll ask Dad if he’s seen or heard anything. And if I were you I’d probably leave Embry alone. Maybe he’s dealing with his own stuff and needs some space.”

Jake nodded and cracked his neck. “Thanks Bella. Hey, its late, do you want to stay for dinner?” he asked. “Dad could call Charlie over.”

I shook my head. “I have work tomorrow, bright and early. If I don’t help Linda with the billing paperwork she will probably kill me.”

Jake laughed at the image of Linda, a sixty- three-year-old woman who was one of the kindest ladies anyone has met, killing someone. When I got home that night I did ask Charlie about a gang on the reservation. He said that that was the first he was hearing of it, but he would talk to Harry and Billy next time he saw them.

The next day at work Ravi cornered me as soon as I walked in.

“Okay, I have some very exciting news,” he said with a slightly maniacal grin.

“There’s a brain of someone without mental illness for me?” I asked.

He cocked his head from side to side, mentally running through the list of those in the morgue. “One, and it’s a maybe. But, there’s something better!” he waited, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hands clasped together in front of him.

“What?” I asked.

“I think you are immune to a vast majority of bacteria and viruses. Basically, you’re pretty invincible!”

“What do you mean, ‘basically’ and ‘pretty’? I asked.

He ushered me over to a small refrigerator filled with petri dishes. I couldn’t remember when that came in, I made a mental note to pay more attention. “Your blood has killed and destroyed every virus I have exposed it to. I don’t know about the more fun ones, like Ebola, or hepatitis A, but, you are immune to every commonly encountered virus and bacterium. It’s amazing, really.”

I snorted. “It makes sense though; dead people can’t get sick. Why should I be able to?”

He closed the door to the refrigerator and made a disapproving sound. “Don’t call yourself dead. Technically, you still have a heartbeat. You’re just undead.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just undead.” I echoed.

“Yes, only undead, now help me transfer him,” he said again while donning gloves.

“What happened to this one?” I asked, donning gloves myself.

“Gunshot wound, it entered through the back, which was somewhat poetic. Exited through the front but destroyed his lung. He might have made it but he bled out. He was found in Beaver, but the powers that be brought him here instead. His brain is in the fridge, do with it what you will,” Ravi said with a flourish after we had transferred the man to the shelf.

I pushed the body of my meal forward and closed the door.

Sunday morning, I sauntered into Ravi’s office. He looked somewhat hungover, but that wasn’t important.

“Hey Ravi, guess what?” I asked.

“What? Stop yelling,” he groaned.

“Yo mama so fat she was arrested for having ten pounds of crack,” I said, and immediately burst into giggles.

“Lovely,” he said, and softly slammed his head down on his desk.

I was cracking childishly inappropriate joes the rest of my shift, and Ravi was silently suffering. Also, I could finish a crossword in about ten minutes, so that was fun. The man had a way with words, so I made the most of it and got to work on my application essay for the University of Washington. Charlie was thrilled when I announced that I would be applying to the university, and he was sure that I was going to get in. I didn’t quite feel his optimism, but I was going to get all the help I could from my meal and write a killer essay.

I went over to Jake’s Sunday afternoon after Ravi told me to get out of the morgue, but for some reason I couldn’t find him in the garage. I knocked on the door and Billy called out that he was on his way. He didn’t seem surprised when he saw me, but he wouldn’t open the door farther than what was necessary to accommodate his chair.

“Bella, I’m so sorry about this, but Jake can’t go out today. He’s sick, you must have seen the flu that was going around?” he asked.

I had, and many of my classmates were dropping like flies. It only seemed to be a 24-hour thing though, so I hoped Jake didn’t catch anything worse. Part of me wondered if I should fake sickness so I would seem more human, but when I imagined Charlie’s hovering, and possibly his insistence on seeing a doctor, I discarded the thought quickly.

I nodded at Billy. “Yeah, I have. So he caught it too? That sucks. Tell him to get well soon, and if either of you need something, just let me or Charlie know. It wouldn’t be a bother.”

He gave a small smile. “I will, thank you.” Then he backed away and closed the door.

Jake didn’t call me for two days so I figured the virus wasn’t a 24-hour thing. Ravi said that it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to completely disappear. So, I took some time and gathered all the necessary documents, including essays, letters of recommendation (one from a teacher, one from Ravi) and mailed everything to Seattle. To celebrate, Charlie bought a cake I pretended to enjoy, and stated that he did invite Billy and Jake over, but Jake was still sick. Harry’s family was also dealing with the flu, and couldn’t make it either. Ravi came over though, and Charlie thanked him profusely for his help with my essay and writing one of my letters. I picked up an extra shift on Friday night, as Jake still wasn’t feeling well, and was discussing career options with Ravi.

“Well obviously, I need food,” I stated. “Becoming a doctor would make the most sense.”

Ravi shook his head vigorously while chewing a mouthful of food. I waited until he swallowed, and he said, “you know what we do in medical school? We practice. On each other. Nobody will be able to get your pulse, blood pressure, or draw your blood! You’ll be outed immediately.”

“What about nursing?” I asked.

“Same problem,” he said with a knowing look. “what do you like? What are you interested in?”

I sighed. “I guess I always thought psychology was pretty interesting. But I don’t want to be a school counselor or administrator, or whatever. It just seems so boring. And I do need access to brains…”

“No, no, no,” Ravi said. “I’m thinking more of a clinical psychologist. They employ those in hospitals… and look here, the morgues are never heavily guarded. You could just grab a snack before going home.”

I grimaced while he grinned. “Yes, just a quick snack. Not a big deal.” But he was right, in a way. At the very least, it was something to think about.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the next weekend that Ravi cheerfully told me not to come into work. There had only been one death, but the family wanted the person to go straight to burial, and the morgue was currently empty. I had a good supply of brains for the next month or so, so I wasn’t worried. But the idea of having nothing to do was somewhat terrifying within itself. The weather was slowly but surely getting warmer, and an idea that had been bouncing around in my head for a while decided it was a good time to get persistent. I dialed Ravi’s number with a sigh, I really didn’t feel like doing this alone.

“Couldn’t get enough of me?” he asked. I could hear the sound of laser guns in the background and he was chewing on something noisily. Probably making the most of his day off by eating junk food and playing his silly games.

“Something like that, listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” I asked. The sounds of the game were abruptly silent.

“Is it something zombie related? Count me in, I’ll put on pants right now,” he said excitedly.

I remembered that British people called underwear ‘pants’ and cringed at the unwanted mental image. “No, my god Ravi, ew, gross, no.” I shuddered. “Just meet me at my house. We should probably use your car for this, I don’t know how well my truck could take it.”

“Sure thing, I’ll make a quick picnic! At least it’s somewhat sunny today!” he said and hung up.

I stared at the phone, wondering what exactly happened. About an hour later he was on the front porch with an honest to god picnic basket. This incident was how I learned that Ravi could actually cook in his spare time, even though at work he mostly ate cereals and packaged foods. I felt somewhat inadequate with my small amount of brains in a Tupperware. He ushered me into the car and asked where we were going. I gave directions to the best of my ability, looking at my phone for anything that could help me. We eventually found the end of the trail that I used to park my truck in. I left there quickly, Ravi hurrying to catch up with me.

“So, where exactly are we going?” he asked eventually.

“A place I used to go with my…now ex-boyfriend, I guess,” I said after a pause.

“Ah,” he replied. “So, he dumped you?”

I shot him a glare with no malice behind it. He held up his hands in mock surrender and shrugged. “I had a younger sister, I know what it’s like.”

I nodded, then… “Wait, you had a younger sister?”

He sighed. “Drunk driver. She was in a crosswalk and everything. It tore up my mom. We hardly ever talk anymore.”

I stopped walking turned around, and gave him a short hug. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

He hugged me back. “It’s not your fault, but, back to the topic at hand. Where are we going, and, more importantly, why?”

I started walking again. “It was a beautiful place, and if I can’t go with him, why shouldn’t I be able to go and make it my place? I avoided things that remind me of him, and looking back, that probably wasn’t the most emotionally healthy way to deal with things.”

“Well I am looking forward to this,” he said, shaking the picnic basket. “and hope its soon, I’m hungry. I want good food, psychological healing, and a nice cigarette.”

“I’m hungry too!” I said, staring pointedly at his head.

“No thank you, Miss Zombie,” he said.

I laughed until we got to the clearing.

He plopped down on the grass that was now dead cheerfully.

“Wait, you, a doctor, smoke?” I asked. “Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Just every now and then. Always carry a lighter, though. It comes in useful,” he said with a grin, while opening a ham sandwich and giving it to me.

I added the brains and the hot sauce, and was about to take a bite when a feeling of complete… _wrongness_ washed over me. I shot up, with my back to Ravi. “Get up,” I whispered.

“Bella, what is going on?” he said as he got to his feet and dusted off his pants.

“I don’t know, just stay behind me,” I whispered.

“Bella,” he said in what he probably hoped would be a soothing voice. “What is the problem?”

At that moment, someone came into the clearing. I stepped back instinctively, backing Ravi into the tree further. As the person came forward, I saw that it wasn’t a person after all.

“Laurent?” I asked.

“See, you know each other and everything, it’s no problem,” Ravi said, trying to soothe me.

As Laurent came closer I saw that his eyes were not the friendly gold color I had come to expect with vampires, but blood red. He had fed on a human, and had done so recently.

“Bella?” he asked.

“You remember,” I replied haltingly.

“I didn’t expect this,” he said. “You look much different than I remember. I suppose humans do change more than we do.” As he came closer, his expression changed. Curiosity, and…disgust?

“And I thought you lived in Denali with that coven,” I said.

“Coven?” Ravi asked. I elbowed him softly to keep him quiet.

“I found eventually that it wasn’t to my tastes. I came to visit the Cullen residence. They have left, it seems?” He made the statement end like a question. He walked to the side, and I matched his moves, making sure Ravi was always behind me.

“Yes, they could no longer keep up appearances among the human population,” I said.

He nodded. The reasoning must have made sense to him. “I’m surprised you’re here, weren’t you a pet of theirs?” he asked.

Okay, that was only slightly offensive. “Something like that,” I said dryly.

“Pet?” Ravi whispered. I elbowed him slightly harder than the last time, hoping he would get the message and stay still and quiet. The feeling of wrongness only increased the closer Laurent came to me, and part of my mind was wondering what this meant.

“Do they visit often?” Laurent asked.

“Occasionally. I’ll let them know I saw you,” I lied easily. I hoped it would make him leave faster.

He cocked his head at me with a smirk. “The residence smelled like it had been empty for a long while.”

Ravi was starting to fidget, and I reached around so I could hold onto his arm through the protection of his shirt.

“Who is this?” he asked pleasantly.

“Do you like Alaska?” I asked instead. His mouth lifted at the corner, as though he understood what I was doing.

He shrugged gracefully. “It was a novel experience, living in one place for such an extended period. I liked Tanya’s family. Her sister Irina even more. But the restrictions are so difficult. Sometimes I just…cheat.” He said the last word with a predatory smile.

I raised my eyebrows nonchalantly. “Did Victoria ever find you?”

This seemed to surprise him, and his expression changed into a more neutral one.

“Yes, she did. I’m actually here as a favor to her. She won’t be happy about this, but, what can she do about it?”

“About what?”

“Me, killing you. Although you don’t smell sweet like you used to. I just don’t want to let her win, you understand. She’s still upset about James, and your Edward killing him. This way, she thinks it would be even. But she did turn her back on me, those decades ago, so this would make her and I even, you see. And the other one, behind you, he should go as well, don’t want anyone to talk,” Laurent said.

I stepped forward and thrust Ravi behind me. “Get out of here! Run!” I said. He tried to pull me back with him, but I shoved him away and turned to Laurent. He was grinning, excited. It made me furious. So angry.

So when he wrapped a hand around my neck and lifted me high in the air and slammed me against the tree, I saw red. I hissed and scratched his arm and his face. Shockingly, my nails gouged deep into his skin, and he screamed in pain. I was let go and fell to the ground, snarling at the monster who would kill Ravi. Laurent quickly made a fist and punched me in the chest. I flew across the clearing and smashed into a tree. There was a dull pain across my back but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was killing him. I ran forward and dug my nails into his side. He screamed again, and lay on the ground clutching his side. I straddled his body, and wrapped my arm around his neck, putting him in a headlock, and my other hand was pulling on his neck. The fury, red hot, pulsed through me, and I ripped his head from his body. I held it from the hair as the anger drained out of me.

I saw the body twitching, slowly making its way toward me, and I shrieked. What had I just done? How was I capable of doing that? The dull pain in my back became a bit sharper, more pronounced. I turned my neck and saw that a sharp branch had pierced my back. It wasn’t coming out the front, but it was deeply embedded. Laurent’s body was still twitching and I had to occasionally take a step back so his body wouldn’t reform. With one hand, I frantically felt around for my phone and dialed Ravi.

“Bella, what happened? Are you okay?” he asked frantically between gasps.

“I need you to come back, right now,” I said. “I need your lighter.”

“I have so many questions, but I’m just going to do what you tell me to for now, then I’ll freak out. Okay? Sure, sounds good,” he babbled. “Are you injured at all? Because I can help with that, if you are. If you haven’t noticed, I am a doctor. Doctors are generally good at helping injured people. Or zombies, it really doesn’t matter at all if you think about it.”

I sat on Laurent’s body so it couldn’t move very much while Ravi babbled on in my ear. I grasped the branch that was in my back before steeling myself. There was a snap and I whipped my head around and I saw a…creature. It looked like a dog, or maybe a wolf. But wolves just didn’t get that big, it was impossible. It was jet black, and advanced toward me. I hung up the phone abruptly and stood up so I was still on Laurent’s body. The thing moved forward a few yards before I abruptly pulled the branch out of my body. It made a squelching sound as it came out but there was very little pain. I threw it next to Laurent’s head. It was covered in blood and was highly infectious. The motion pulled the…wolf up short.

It cocked its head at me and stopped moving. I felt a slight sense of unease but nothing like the feeling of wrongness that Laurent provoked. It abruptly sat down, and two more arrived from the shadows. They looked at the first one seated, and then looked at me.

Laurent’s body gave a particularly vicious spasm. “Chill out,” I growled at it. The other two wolves sat down after a few minutes of looking between me and the big black one. Maybe they were super smart, like those genetically engineered animals. There was a loud cracking noise and Ravi emerged into the clearing, his lighter held out high like a cherished prize.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it right here ah!” he gave a shriek when he saw the wolves.

“Calm down, they haven’t tried to kill me,” I said and deftly grabbed the lighter while considering Laurent’s body. “I would be too chewy for them.” I knew I had to rip it into pieces, but did the pieces have to be a certain size? Maybe I should just get the arms and legs removed to be safe. “Now you should go again.”

“What?” he yelled. “Have you lost your mind? Last time I checked-”

“I’m stronger than you. So, leave, I have to rip him up into pieces,” I said. One of the wolves made a snorting sound at this.

“Oh,” Ravi was nodding frantically and his voice was rising with volume as he continued. “Yes, yes, of course you have to rip him into pieces a simple explanation would be too much for you!”

“Dammit Ravi, he was going to kill you!” I shouted back. “Now I’m going to do the thing again, or try to, and then I’m going to set his body on fire. I promise, I’ll tell you everything tonight, just… you need to go, now.”

“Right, okay, fine,” he said. “Have a good day,” he sarcastically said to the three wolves that were watching the exchange. One of the animals snorted.

As soon as he was out of sight the black wolf came forward and grasped Laurent’s foot in his mouth. “NO!” I yelled and lunged forward and grabbed the leg. The wolf dropped it and backed away, its lips curling to show teeth. I immediately inspected the leg for any of my blood. The last thing this place needed was a giant mutant wolf that turned into a zombie. The leg was wet with saliva, which was kind of gross but not my problem. There was no blood on Laurent other than what was on his shirt, thankfully.

“Back up, doggie,” I said to the animals. They didn’t move. “Back! I’m serious! Shoo!” They moved back a few paces cautiously and I rolled my eyes. “I guess that’s the best I can get.”

I closed my eyes and focused on the anger I felt when he threatened Ravi, and when he threatened to kill me. My body felt stronger, more alive, and I placed my knees on Laurent’s back and wrenched his arm away from his body. I was satisfied, and moved onto the other arm. I turned around and the animals immediately were alarmed, crouching down and baring their teeth. The adrenaline was flowing through me easily, and I dropped the arm I had, snarling as I faced them. The black one barked at the others, and they backed up a few more paces. They still looked like they could attack, but I decided to focus on the main threat. Hissing, I ripped his legs off, and seeing the now mangled body of my enemy, I could relax. Anger and hatred drained from me, and I gasped softly. I felt a little worn out, but pulled the lighter from my pocket. I flipped the switch, expecting flame and…

Nothing.

“Oh, come on,” I said, flipping the switch repeatedly. On what felt like my thirtieth attempt, a small flame came out, and I quickly put it to the body, which thankfully ignited easily. I made sure that the branch I had pulled from my back was added to the pile. The smoke was a strange purple color that irritated my throat. I held my nose and breathed through my shirt until the whole thing was burned. As soon as the body was reduced to ash I stomped out the flames so they would not spread to the dried grass. In a strange act of helpfulness, the wolves turned their backs to me and dug up the dirt so the fire would be covered. I didn’t understand what was going on until a large amount of dirt hit me head on.

I cussed and flipped the brown wolf off, then left. My job was done. Now, I had to find an angry doctor and get my back fixed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big reveal- so to speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so grateful to the people who have stuck with this story for so long. It is such an honor to have people actually like something that I am putting out for the world to see. But, as of right now I am a full time nursing student. This last chapter that was published was worked on in ten minute increments over the last month. I hope to write more during break, but please be patient with me! thank you!

“I can’t believe you would keep something like this from me,” Ravi said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Vampires actually exist. And apparently, mutant dogs too.”

He was picking through the wound on my back while I lied on the bed of my truck. He was hunched over me, using a flashlight and some tweezers to clean me up. There was remarkably little blood, most likely because I had such a faint heartbeat.

I craned my neck to glare at him. “You’re getting on my nerves, Ravi. And I think you are taking more time for this than strictly necessary.”

“Well forgive me for being thorough,” he shot back.

“Yeah, I’d hate getting an infection and dying,” I said dryly.

Ravi groaned. “That was not funny,” he in his most British accent said while taking his gloves off.

“It was kinda funny.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it really was. I’m hilarious.”

“Just get up and give me the garbage bag already.”

“Shut up, Ravi. You’re not the boss of me.”

“Technically, I am.”

I shoved the trash bag at him and he put the gloves that had my blood on them in it. I tied off the bag and climbed down from the bed of my truck to put it next to my feet. Ravi climbed in after a few minutes. “So,” he said once we pulled out onto the road. “Do I have to worry about more dangerous vampire assassins coming after me?”

I laughed at the idea of Victoria as one of those legendary assassins then stopped. The idea might not be that far off from the truth.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Laurent said that it was a coincidence that he found us there today. And now that he’s dead, he can’t exactly go blabbing to Victoria about finding me. And you were never part of the original plan anyway. She doesn’t know that you exist. Of course, I’d like to keep it that way, so I’d really appreciate it if you called me right away if anything suspicious happens.”

Ravi nodded. “Yeah, that won’t be a problem.”

I shook my head at the events of the day. “I can’t believe those dogs though… they seemed somewhat intelligent so maybe they’re not wild animals.”

“Can we talk about this later, I’m just kind of tired of all this,” Ravi said. “I just want to go home, do Call of Duty and sleep well tonight. This can wait until tomorrow. Or the day after.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I understand, I’ve been there.”  

On the ride back, we just listened to the crappy radio of my truck while discussing our plans for the day. I had to cut back on shifts at the hospital because midterms were coming up. I needed a better GPA than last year if I wanted the University of Washington to even give me a shot. Calculus and physics were a struggle, but Ravi would help me when he could. I thought I had a good chance of doing well on both exams. Ravi was going on and on about this new video game he was planning on purchasing as soon as it was released by the time I pulled up in the driveway.

“Keep the wound clean, I’ll drop by sometime tomorrow afternoon to check on it,” he said. “Eat plenty of brain food.”

I rolled my eyes as he got out of the truck. He took the garbage bag with the bloody gloves with him. He said that he would drop by the morgue and put it in the biohazard waste disposal to make sure the poor residents of Forks were safe from my virus.

Charlie was back from work an hour or so after I got back. I told him that I went on a short hike with Ravi but didn’t mention where, or the fact that I saw mutant wolves that could apparently somewhat understand human (or zombie) communication. He gave me a look and then demanded why I was spending so much time with Ravi, reminding me that although I was 18 I was still his child and his responsibility, that Ravi was much older, and that I needed to tell him what exactly was going on.

I shot back that I could quit my job and stop talking to my boss if he hated doctors that much. He held up his hands in surrender, his worry gone for now. That night I snacked on a brain while working well ahead into my homework. The visions still happened occasionally, but with this person for some reason they were very faint and blurry. I noticed that I was somewhat detached emotionally but that wasn’t really a bad thing. I could focus on important things rather than worrying, and feeling.

It happened around midnight.

I had long since given up on doing homework and was instead watching reruns of Ellen from a few years back. The small tap of something bouncing off the side of the house didn’t quite register at first but around what had to be the third or fourth tap I turned off the volume and put the brain back under my bed. I looked out the windows cautiously and saw Jake sitting in the tree, throwing what looked to be pebbles of a decent size at my window. I unlocked it slowly. Jake was sitting on a branch, very relaxed despite the fact that he was about 20 feet off the ground.

“Nice to see you,” he said neutrally, not moving. He tossed a pebble in my direction without any real power behind it. I caught it before it could hit the house. His eyes widened slightly at the motion.

“So we’re talking again?” I asked. My voice carried far in the quiet night. The only other noise was the soft rustling of leaves outside the window.

“If you’ll let me in, I’d like to,” he said, moving to get up.

I backed away as he came forward. He leaned forward and pushed with his legs, catching his hands on my windowsill and coming into contact with the siding of the house with a dull thud. We froze, but Charlie made no move to get up. Jacob pulled himself up and then was suddenly in my room.

There was a long and awkward silence before I broke it with, “and what exactly are you doing here?”

He rubbed his hair self-consciously before putting his hands back in his pockets. “I hadn’t really thought about what exactly I was going to say when I got here,” he said.

“Well one, you technically just said something, and two, you put yourself into a lot of trouble coming here, so you have to have something important to tell me,” I said.

He cracked a small smile that quickly disappeared. “I just want to know… Bella what happened to you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’ve changed, and I need to know what happened,” he said.

Wow, that was rich. “I’ve changed? Really? I’m not the one that goes from being my best friend to ignoring me to hopping into my bedroom window at 12:30 in the morning with this interrogation of crap! I don’t understand just what the actual fu-”

“I was there,” he said. “Okay? I was there, and I saw you!”

“Saw me where, what are you even talking about?” I tried to keep my voice calm as he became more agitated.

“Today, alright? I saw you today,” he said.

“It’s only been today for, like, 45 minutes,” I said.

“Fine, then, yesterday. I saw you yesterday. I saw you kill the vampire. I saw you,” he repeated the last part. My stomach dropped to the floor.

“I didn’t see you yesterday,” I said after a while.

“Yes, Bella, you did. I was there, in the clearing, and you killed that vampire in front of me,” he insisted.

Obviously, he saw me kill Laurent. There was little doubt about that. I was caught red-handed, so to speak. But the one part that wasn’t adding up was the fact that... “I didn’t kill him in front of you, the only person who saw that was Ravi, and there were some…”

“Wolves,” he finished my sentence for me.

I gasped. “But… how? What?”

Jake groaned quietly and sat down on the chair next to my desk. “I can’t tell you everything. It’s not allowed. But, if you already knew, that would solve everything. And you do already know. I’ve told you this before.” He paused, looked at me intently.

While he was talking I had pressed myself up against my wall in horror at the implications of what he was saying. Jacob made no sudden movements, seeming to understand that I was having an extremely difficult time understanding just what exactly my life had turned into in a matter of minutes.

“I did tell you, Bella. It was that afternoon you and your friends came to the beach. We went for a walk, and I told you the stories. You were only interested in one, but the other one I told you, about my ancestors. You have to remember that one.” He sighed while getting up. “Maybe when you understand you can trust me with what happened to you. I hope you can. But I would try to understand if you couldn’t. But Bella,” he paused. I met his eyes warily.

“Red eyes or no red eyes, you’re still the most important person to me.” With that statement and a small sad smile, he exited my room.

Once he was gone I moved to the window to close it. I saw him disappear into the trees next to the house, running at a suspicious speed. I tried to remember that day he mentioned. But my human memories were muddled somewhat. And the pain and misery of the last few months of my human existence made it easy to avoid thinking about. Then again, I didn’t think it would be difficult to understand. Jacob was a human, but admitted to seeing me kill a vampire. Something he always claimed not to believe in, but now felt comfortable speaking about. He knew I knew about vampires. The only other… living entity, for lack of a better term, that had been there had been Ravi, who did not actually see the killing of Laurent. The others had been the wolves.

“Werewolf,” I muttered to myself. Of course it was. Because my life had to be more complicated, right? Unwilling to deal with this added, completely uncalled-for stressor, I went to bed and plugged in my iPod. The noise of the music gave me something to focus on other than the fact that my best friend was a freaking werewolf. But, he was still my best friend. That had to mean something, even now among the insanity that I had suddenly been thrust into. I decided that I would go to Billy’s house tomorrow morning- or in a few hours as it was already early on a Sunday morning.

Could Jacob and the other…werewolves be the ones killing the hikers? There had to be an explanation for what exactly was going on. Maybe they could be persuaded to learn a new way? I sighed too loudly and turned to my side. I punched my pillow in frustration, but that didn’t actually help. My mind was spinning too fast for me to actually understand what I was thinking.

It was a miracle at least, that at this time the brain I had eaten was not unlike myself. He was another elderly person, introverted, and more interested in history and art than the daily happenings of other people. His mind was quiet, the only way I could actually tell I ate someone was the occasional visions I got of watching a documentary on the revolutionary war, or suddenly understanding how to shade an object to look three dimensional. His death came from a heart attack, and it was quick and painless.

When the sun started filtering through my blinds I decided to get up. I was earlier than Charlie, something that rarely happened. Realizing that it had been about two or three days since I had last eaten actual food, I made myself some toast with peanut butter, salt, sugar, and copious amounts of tabasco. It almost tasted like something. Charlie came downstairs while I was washing my dishes, and out of guilt for being such a terrible daughter the last few days I made him scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon.

“What’s all this for?” he asked suspiciously, even though that didn’t stop him from eating.

I sighed dramatically. “Well Dad, I guess you’re never getting breakfast from me again, if this is how I get treated.”

He took in my already dressed appearance. “Going to see Jake and Billy today?” he asked.

“Yup,” I replied.

“Going to get that fight between you and Jake settled?”

“Let’s see how it goes. Might take a few minutes, might take all day,” I said. “I’ll call if I’m going to be late.”

Charlie nodded. “I did teach you how to throw a punch right? So if he tries anything… Billy is a good friend but don’t let that get in your way, Bells,” he said.

That actually did make me laugh. “Please, I could totally take him on and win.”


End file.
